Companion Rescue
Personal responsibility is a virtue in backcountry travel, skiing or otherwise. Being self–sufficient is a part of being a good backcountry skier. Having the right rescue essentials and knowing how to use them has become boilerplate when we talk about leaving the trailhead in search for wild snow. And for good reason: these items could help save your life. But when an otherwise stellar backcountry day goes south, which can happen at a moment’s notice, it pays to have a plan.
We’ve all built a lifestyle (to some extent) that is shaped around backcountry skiing. The freedom of the hills is no small affair. Being in the mountains with good friends, great snow, and sweeping vistas has caused thousands of us to rethink our path in life more than once. It’s a fantastic feeling. But that feeling also comes with responsibility.
There are days, hopefully few and very far in between—when someone in our party gets injured; they blow a knee, get caught in a slide, or worse. Sometimes the consequences are devastating. When we’re in the backcountry, let’s face it, there’s no calling for help. We are the help. Organized rescue groups, such as Search and Rescue, are an important component to any mountain town community, and provide an invaluable service. That said, companion rescue is still paramount in backcountry travel, so it pays not only to carry your beacon, shovel, and probe, and know how to use them, but to also learn basic First Aid, carry a modicum of medical gear, as well as tech gear, such as locking carabiners, and a hank of rope in the event of a injury. Call it problem solving, and these are some of the tools you have to solve a problem.
It’s one thing to be 10-15 minutes from the trailhead when everything is copacetic. It’s totally different when a member of your party has a broken leg. Even a blown ACL can turn a 15-minute jaunt from the car into a three-hour epic. Logistics, exposure and personal safety take on an entire new meaning when there is a compromise to the group. The next time you’re in the backcountry, a couple drainages from the car, ask yourself, what happens if I get hurt? Do you think cell service is good back there? Probably not. So, what are you gonna do? What can you do?
Accountability is also an important element of backcountry ethics, and we owe it to be responsible for ourselves, for our partners, and the people who may come to our aid. One day it’s going to pay off when you need a plan to assist a friend and drag them to the trailhead, or know how to keep them relatively stable while waiting for definitive help to arrive. Covering all the relevant tactics is beyond the scope of this article. What we’re going for is reminding ourselves that backcountry travel can be dangerous, and let’s not take it for granted.
Backcountry skiing is more than just a sport. We want our friends and customers to enjoy G3 skis, bindings, probes and shovels. In doing so, we also want to foster the freedom that personal responsibility brings us when we set our sights on distant peaks and deep powder.
(Lead image - Orry Grant & 'companions' enjoying a safe day at the Asulkan Hut, Rogers Pass, BC, Canada)
